Heat Pump Repair in Columbus, MS
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Lowndes County will get in touch.
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Ten months of work in Columbus
Your heat pump runs from November through March to keep the house warm, then switches over and runs May through September to keep it cool. That leaves it two months a year to rest. Summer afternoons averaging 91°F push the outdoor unit hard all season, and winter nights averaging 35°F keep it working the other direction not long after.
Most homes in Lowndes County heat with electricity, so the heat pump is not a backup system, it is the system, in both directions. That kind of year-round use puts real hours on the compressor and the reversing valve, the part that switches the system between heating and cooling. Lowndes County has also logged 110 damaging wind events and 6 winter storms over the past ten years, and when the power goes out, the unit needs to come back on and pick up right where it left off.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 35°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Mississippi requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state issues the license to the contractor, not to the job, so it covers whoever holds it rather than this specific repair. Mississippi's Board of Contractors is the body that tested and licensed them in the first place, and that same license stands behind every job they take on, including this one.
Because a heat pump moves refrigerant, whoever opens that side of the system also needs EPA Section 608 certification, the federal rule that applies in every state. That certification is separate from the Mississippi license. One says the state qualified this contractor to do the work. The other says the person handling the refrigerant is trained to do it without releasing it into the air.
Source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In winter this usually means the system is in defrost mode, which can last several minutes while it melts ice off the outdoor coil. If the air stays cold and never warms back up, the reversing valve may be stuck in cooling mode, or the unit could be low on refrigerant. Columbus winter nights average 35°F, cold enough that a stuck reversing valve will leave you with no real heat in the house. A contractor with EPA 608 certification will need to check the refrigerant charge if that turns out to be the cause.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost on the outdoor unit during cold weather is normal, and the system should clear it on its own through periodic defrost cycles. A heavy or thick layer of ice that doesn't melt off usually means airflow is blocked, the defrost control has failed, or refrigerant is low. Check first that nothing is stacked against the outdoor unit and that the coil isn't caked with debris. If the ice keeps building after that, the defrost board or refrigerant charge needs a licensed contractor to look at it.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the outdoor unit is running but the air inside isn't cold, check the filter first since a clogged one can choke airflow enough to make cooling feel weak or absent. Summer afternoons here average 91°F, and at that kind of heat load a dirty filter or blocked return can make the difference between cold air and lukewarm air. If the filter is clean and you're still not getting cool air, the system may be low on refrigerant or the compressor may not be engaging, both of which need a contractor to diagnose.